Jason Luthor - Floor 21

“You can think that all you want, Mike, but we know there aren’t any access tunnels on this side of the Tower. They’re all on the east or west side.”

“Yeah, but why don’t they go anywhere important?” He doesn’t bother waiting for an answer as he whips out his flashlight, scouring the surface of the walls. “Nobody really knows what happened when they shut down the Tower. All we know is what’s in front of us.”

“Which is what?”

“That there’s a bunch of access tunnels and power cables that basically go nowhere. That run around the Tower from south to east and then cut toward the north wing. Then the access tunnels vanish, but the power cables keep running. Why? Because they keep going, to the power plants.”

“Then… why isn’t there any access?”

“Well, I’m kinda stumped on that one. I think that whatever happened in the Tower started in the north side. Think of it like, why is the staircase immediately after Floor 21 sealed up with rock and concrete?”

“For the obvious reason. It prevents the Creep from spreading upward. At least, it prevents it from spreading upward easily. It can’t just pass through solid stone.”

“Right. So, what if the Creep started in the north and then spread out? What if they stuffed up the access tunnels because that was the easiest way to trap it for a while?”

He says this, and I look from him to the walls around us. Like I’ve said, Mike’s a sharp guy. I’ve been doing this a few more years than he has, and I’ve never considered that. Then again, Mike’s got that grasp for figuring out space and navigation. I look around at the rest of the team, and they just shrug. Turns out, I’m not the only one who’s never considered this.

Finally, I throw my hands up. “All right, Mike. Why do you think the access is here?”

“Because the access tunnels always have entrances from rooms like this. I mean, that kind of makes sense, right? They were closed off to the public and only for Tower workers. When I was looking at the maps, I noticed that one of the access tunnels used to run this way. Now, all of us know you can follow those tunnels for a while before you hit dead ends, where they blocked it up. Thing is, without that concrete, at least one of the tunnels would pass right behind this room.”

“I’m liking what you’re selling, Mike. Okay, you’ve got me on the line, now reel me in. How do we get into this tunnel?”

He takes a few steps over to the side of the room opposite the door we came through. “Access tunnels are always on the same side of the room. Right?”

I nod, but I can’t help but frown. “Sure, but… Mike, there’s a solid concrete wall there.”

“Are you sure?” He turns, knocking on the gray surface in front of him. “What if we placed an explosive here?”

Everyone protests immediately, and I wave him off, shaking my head at the idea of it. “Mike, you know we have to avoid using explosives at all costs. Shake the area up too much, and we’ll instigate a Category 2 Creep Incident.”

“So, we just use a little less. All we have to do is use enough to blow out this wall. We all know that Polar North’s been the one place we’ve wanted to get in for years. There’ve been more than a few people that’ve tossed the idea around that the Creep’s coming from inside it so, if I’m right, then it’ll be worth it. We’ll finally have a crack at finding out how all this started, maybe even find some way of putting a stop to it.”

“But like you said, that’s only if you’re right. What if you’re wrong?”

“Then we haul our butts out of here. It’s not like it’d be the first time we had to.”

Thing about a Scavenger is that we’re risk takers by nature. As I look from face to face throughout the room, I can’t help but notice that they’re all smiling. Hell, I’m smiling, too. So I toss my hands in the air. “Okay, Mike. Why not? Just do me a favor.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Put a hell of a long timer on it. At least that way if there’s an incident, we’ll already be down the hall. We’ll be able to see if there’s any reaction to the explosion and get out of here before anything comes after us.”

He gives me a thumbs-up. “I’m on it,” he says as he reaches into his pocket. We all carry small amounts of plastic explosives as a precaution, since you never know when you’re going to find yourself trapped and in need of an escape. The only thing is that an explosion will drive back the Creep for just a minute or two before that stuff gets angry and starts to spread rapidly. Mike puts a five-minute timer on, which is more than enough time for us to run back up the hallway. Actually it’s enough time for us to run a few hallways down.

Some might think that’s an overreaction, but the truth is that when you piss off the Creep, it can spread like a fire on fuel. That’s why Mike sets the timer so long. Not only do we get pretty far away, but we get settled in with enough time to observe any reaction from down the hallway. As I stare through the red haze, I hear the explosive go off. Instinctively my body tightens up, and I can actually feel my legs tightening as every muscle gets ready to run. A quick look around the team shows that they’re all prepared to do the same thing.

Still, while we wait for something to happen, nothing ever really does. I’m expecting at least some reaction, but, no, nothing. Since this was Mike’s plan, I tell him to take point again. If anyone’s going to have to spot a Creep incident first, it should be the guy who pissed it off. Again, though, nothing ever happens.

Actually, I’m surprised a third time. We arrive back at the Maintenance room, and, I mean obviously, the place is trashed. We just blew it up. All the chemicals and shelves are on the ground and there’s a small fire going, so we make sure to get that snuffed out before it spreads into the halls and starts an incident. It doesn’t take much to see that Mike was right, though. There’s a gaping hole in the wall, and behind it is a thin tunnel. Even from my side of the room, I can make out the power cables running along inside of it.

“I’ll be damned,” I say, hands on my hips. “Good work, Mike.”

“Nah. Anyone could have figured it out.”

“Mike, people have been trying to figure this out for decades, maybe longer. Give yourself some credit.”

Everyone agrees with this and starts patting Mike on the back. He’s obviously not used to the attention, and maybe doesn’t even care, but everyone deserves a moment to shine once in a while. I let them all do their rounds of congratulating while I take a step inside, shining my flashlight so I can get a look. “No sign of the Creep in here. Wasn’t expecting that. It’s pretty narrow, though, so we’re going to have to move in single file.” Mike starts to move into the tunnel, and I have to push him back. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s late, and we’ve been on the move all day. We’re all excited about this, but if we don’t get rest, then we’re putting the team at risk.”

“Yeah, okay. So we wait until tomorrow?”

“Right. Let’s scout out one of the nearby rooms and see if we can find one that’s not spilling over with Creep.”

The thing about our jobs is you can’t be too picky about where you sleep. I mean, there are a couple of rules. Don’t sleep facedown. You run the risk of accidentally getting Creep in your face, and I don’t even want to think about accidentally getting it in your mouth. Other than that, don’t pick any room where the Creep’s so thick that you risk triggering it. If the bed’s covered in it, don’t sleep there. If the floor’s just overwhelmed with it, don’t sleep there. Pick a relatively empty space, settle in, and don’t move around too much through the night.